Machine for cutting and eviscerating fish.



F. C. WEBER & F. M. ALLEN.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND EVISCERATING FISH. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 16. 1915.

Patented 001;. 24, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. c. WEBER M. M. ALLEN. MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND EVISCERATING FISH. APPLICATION FILED DEC. I6. I9I5. LQW WWI Patented Oct. 24,1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2- lwmmtom F. CyWEBER & F. M. ALLEN.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND EVISCERATING FISH. [APPLICATION/FILED DEC. 1's. was.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET' a.

F. C. WEBER & F. NI. ALLEN. IVIACHINEFOR CUTTING AND EVISCERATING FISH.

I APPLICATION FILED DEC. I6, I915- LNINN NWI Patented. Oct. 24,1916.

5 SHEETSSHEET 4.

amoemtow MM 6. M

57 n MM,

F. C. WEBER & F. M. ALLEN.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND EVISCERATING FISH;

APPLICATION FILED 020. I6. 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5- avwewliow FREDERICK C. WEBER, 03E IBETHESDA, MARYLAND, AND FRANK M. A LLEN, 01? WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

reenter.

application filed. December 16, 1915.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (int. 5%, w th.

Serial No. 67,216.

(iltfillllthtltlitlll 'illd PUBLIC.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that We,. FREDERICK C. Winner: and FRANK ll'l. ALLEN, citizens of the United States of America, and employees of the Department of Agriculture of the said United States, said FREDERICK G. \Vnnnn residing in the town of Bethesda, t'itate of Maryland, (whose post-otlice address is Bethesda, Maryland) and the said Fran; M. ALLuN residing in the city of l l ashington, District of Columbia. (whose post-ollice address is Vt ashington, District of tolmnbia,) have invented a new and useful lnr provement in Machines for Cutting and Eviscerating Fish.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1888, chapter 148 (29. Stat, (325), and the invention herein described and. claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any oi its olliccrs or employees in the prosecution of work For the United States, or by any person in the United States, without the paymentof any royalty thereon.

Qur invention relates to a machine which may be adapted to any uniform size and kind of lish by varying the proportions of its working parts, but is more particularly adapted for fish to be utilized for canning purposes.

The machine is adapted to cut ell the heads of lish and to clean them at the same operation by the remova of the entrails.

The object of our invention to provide a machine of the character hereinal'ter described, in which collapsible hoppers. mounted. on an endless chain belt, are utilized for grasping and holding the lish, after they are located with their heads again-st a suitable cage, in position for the heads to be severed, which operation is pertorn'ied by a cutting disk rotating; in opposite direction to the direction ol the endless chain belt; said hoppers being further adapted to give sullicient pressure at a proper time to cause the-ejection of a portion of the viscera which engages in the evisccratinp; rolls, arranged, in a disk, concentric with and flush with the surface of the rotating cutting disk, and traveling in the same direction with the endless chain belt.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement'of parts torth in the procedure showing the mounting and drive oi the o0 eviscerating rolls; Fig. l is an end "view of the hoppers; Fig. 5 is a rear view of the hoppers; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the device showing the compression bar arranged in another position on the ma- 6 chine, and showing the springs attached to the hoppers 1n another position to suit this different arrangement of the compression bar; Fig. 7 is an end clei ation of a pair of eviscerating rolls with theiractuating gears; and Fig. 8 is a cross section through the line 1-2 of Fig. 1.

The fish, in proper position or headed, are led by any suitable pipe or trough to the cutting and eviscerating machine and are directed on to the conveyor belt 1 (Figs. 1- and 52). This belt is constructed as follows: .ln endless chain conveyor belt 1. of any suitable length is provided, upon which is mounted a, continual line of hoppers, 2, constructed asshown by Figs. t and 5. The hoppers, as herein described, are in three sections, 3 being a stationary member, t being one moving member and 4; being another movingmember, and are actuated by arms 5 and (5 and springs 7 and. 8. Two or more moving members may be employed. liloving parts, i, it, 5, 6, 7 and 8, are pivoted at!) on link of belt 1. The parts are mounted and secured on-to links of belt, 1, by screw, 10, and lockout, 10". The conveyer belt is moved clockwise as indicated, by means '01 sprocket wheel, ll, which is secured to shaft 12, driven by pulley, 13, causing conveyor belt, 1, to pass rotating cutting knife, 14:. 9-

This cutting), knife, 14-, is revolved in the opposite direction to that of the conveyer belt, 1, by pulley, 15, which is attached to spider; 1G, to which is secured revolving knife, 14.. As conveyor. 1, with fish is moved toward rotating knife, 1-4:, the movable par .3, 4 and i (Fig. t), of hopper, 2 (Fig. 2), are actuated by arms, 5 and 6, and springs, 7 and 8, which come in contact and are raised by coi'npro: ision bar. 17. The hopper, i, closes upo'n the lish with sullicicut pressure to hold re hoppers, 2, passes toward the rotating knife,

14, and over compression bar, 17, and hop-- per, 2, closes on the fish in hoppers, 2, on conveyor belt 1, passing rotating knife, 14. The portions of the fish which project against the gage plate, 18, and beyond hoppers, 2, will be cut off by rotating cutting knife, it. As conveyor 1 continues to pass this knife, let, the viscera of the fish is, by a continual pressure of sp ings, 7 and 8, acting on arms, and 6, actuating themovable parts, =4 and 4c, of hoppers, 2, torced against the face of rotating knife, 1%, and is passed on and against revolving disk, 19, carrying eviscerating rollers, and 21.

The position of hoppers, 2, with relation to eviscerating rolls in rotating disk, 19, is such that the openings in hoppers, 2, are immediately in front of and in line with the meshing pitch line of eviscerating rolls, 20 and 21. These rollers are corrugated ax 'ially and are revolved toward each other and. from hoppers,.2. They are actuated as follows: Rollers 20 and 21 upon disk 19 are mounted radially or at any other angle desired, as shown 1n Fig. 3,'1n pairs and internieshing. They are attached on the opposite side of disk 19 to that which is toward hoppers, the addendum circle coming flush with face of disk 19 toward hoppers, through openings 29 in said disk, and shown in cross section through 11. They: are held in place by bearings 22 and 23, which bearings are secured to disk 19, by screws, 24. Eviscerating roller 20 is actuated by bevel gear 25, which in turn is actuated by being in mesh with large stationary bevel gear, 26.

I As disk 19, carrying eviscerating rollers 20 and '21 revolves with bevel gear 25, intermeshed with stationary bevel. gear, 26, this causes gear and roller 20 to revolve around the general axis12, at the same time revolving upon .its ownbearings 22 and 23. Roller 21, actuated by spur gear 27, meshing into the spur gear 28, on roll 20, which is actuated by bevel gear 25', which receives its action from stationary bevel gear 26, causes roller 21 to revolve in the opposite direction to the rotative action of roller 20 and both rollers away from hoppers 2. its hoppers 2, containing fish, the heads of wh'ichhavebeen severed as above described, come directly opposite the meshing point of. the eviscerating rollers 20 and 21, the operating springs? and 8 are-caused by a cam, m,

thatis' properly positioned relative to the rotating action of disk 19, upon the compres sion bar, 17, to exert additional pressure upon movable sections 4 and a" of hoppers 2, causirg the viscera to be suddenly proj ected into the eviscerating rollers 20 and 21.

.-number of hoppers used'may be made to suit Conditions as they appear in pract \Ve do not confine ourselves to placing the compression bar 17 in the position as shown in Fig. 2 nor as to the manner of attaching the actuating springs of the movable parts of the hoppers. This may be snore fully understood by referring to Fig.

6 of the drawings. Hoppers 2 are attached to the endless conveyer belt 1 in .the same manner as already described, but are mounted in the reverse position, as shown in Fig. 6. Attached to the movable parts 4: and 4 of hoppers 2 are the springs 7 and 8, which come in contact with the compression bar 17 (Fig. 6), placed as shown, and causes the movable parts 4 and 4 of hoppers 2 tooperate and close on the fish, thus holding them firmly against the stationary member 3 of hoppers 2. As hoppers 2, containing fish, the heads of whichhave been severed as above described, come directly opposite the meshing point of the eviscerating rollers 20 and-21, the operating springs 7 and 8 are caused by a. cam, y, that is properly positioned relative to the rotating action of disk 19, on. the compression bar 17, to exert additional pressure upon movable sections .4 and 4; of hoppers 2, causing the viscera to he suddenly projected into the eviscerating rollers 20 and 21. The compression bar continues, as shown in Fig. 6, in a semicircular position and is-so adjusted as to cause suiiicient'pressure on springs 7 and 8 operating movable parts 4 and 4 against stationary member 3 of hoppers 2, to hold the fish in apposition to eviscerating rollers 20 and2l, through approximately 180.

The drive to power shaft is as follow 's: Shaft 12 .is mounted in suitable bearings 30 and 30.. Upon this shaft is drive pulley 13 forrevolving eviscerating disk 19'and eviscerating rollers 20 and 21. This pulley 13 should be of suitable size for speed desired and securely fastened upon shaft 12; On this shaft beyond bearing 30 is mounted stationary bevel gear 26 and holder 31 for stationary bevel gear 26. Upon an extension of bevel gear 26 is mounted spider 16 and pulley 15 for driving cutting knife 1%. The conveyer belt 1 is held in an operative position by suitable bearingss32 and 33 placed as desired and may be mounted upon a frame or set on the floor. These moving parts may be driven by two or more belts or be directly connected.

IDES

isomer Having thus described ourinvention, We claim:

1. The combination with conveying means comprising a movable hopperincluding means to clamp a fish in said hopper, of means to decapitate and means to eviscerate a fish, said fish clamping means being constructed to subject a fish to further pressure to partially eject the viscera after decapitation t enable the 'eviscerating means to operate.

2. An apparatus for the described purpose, comprising a eonveyer, a drive shaftsuitably mounted and passing through a stationary bevel gear having an extension bearing carrying a spider, said conveyer carrying a series of collapsible hoppers, each provided with two or more clamps for clasping and holding the fish in position for cut ting and eviscerating, said drive shaft carrying a sprocket wheel over which said conveyer travels and a rotating annulus carrying eviscerating rolls, said spider carrying a cutting implement adapted to rotate in an opposite direction to the said annulus, which said cutting implement and eviscerating rolls are arranged in operative position with respect to said conveyer.

An apparatus for the purpose 'described, comprising a conveyer, a drive shaft suitably mounted and passing through a sta tionary bevel gear having an extension bearing carrying a spider, said conveyer carrying a series of hoppers each provided with two or more clamps for elasping and holding the fish in position for cutting and eviscerating, said drive shaft carrying a sprocket wheel over which said conveyer travels and having secured thereto a rotating annulus carrying movable eviscerating rolls suitably. adjusted, said spider carrying a revolving cutting implement rotating around said annulus, said eviscerating rolls adapted to revolve in an opposite direction to each other, and said conveyer and cutting implement adapted to rotate in an opposite direction to each other.

4. An apparatus for the described purpose, comprising aconveyer, a drlve shaft at)" we suitably mounted and passing through a sta tionary bevel gear having an extension bear-- ing carrying a spider and a compression bar, said conveyor carrying a series of hoppers each provided with two or more clamps, said' holding the fish in position for decapitation by the cutting means and immediately thereafter increasing the pressure by proper means for partially ejecting viscera, preliminary to complete withdrawal by the eviscerating rolls.

5. An apparatus for the described purpose, the combination with a rotary cutting annulus, multiple of eviscerating rolls traveling in an opposite direction thereto, a conveyeriior 'arrying the fish within the sphere of the cuttingklisk andthe evisccrating rolls for cutting and eviscerating the fish.

(3. An apparatus for the descrlbed pur pose, comprising a conveyer for carrying the fish to the cutting and eviscerating means, a

cutting disk rotating in the opposite direction to said conveyer, a rotating disk concentric to and flush with the face of a rotating, cutting disk and provided with a multiple of corrugated rolls, mounted in pairs, each revolving in the opposite direction to the otherroll of the pair, said rolls so ar-- ranged on the rotating disk as to engage the ejected viscera in apposition to said rolls.

In testimony whereof, we aiiix oursignatures in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

FREDERICK C. WEBER.

FRANK M. ALLEN,

Witnesses HARRISON F. PATTEN, W. T. CARRIGAN, J r.

an inner rotating disk carrying a 

